There are time limits in place for most types of legal claims and personal injury law is no different. Most time limits are imposed by the Limitation Act 1980 and under Section 11 of this act personal injury claims should be brought within three years of the date of the accident that resulted in the injury. Any claim brought outside of this time period will become “statute barred” which means they cannot be brought without special permission from the court, which is likely to be opposed by the negligent party.
*Other costs may be payable
**Personal Injury Claims Bristol have a team of technical claims qualifiers who will speak with you and if you have, in our opinion, a valid claim we can refer your case to one of the personal injury solicitors on our panel.
There are some exceptions to this rule. If at the time of the accident, the claimant is unaware that injuries have been caused (common in cases of industrial diseases where the claim is following exposure to harmful substances such as asbestos and the symptoms are not apparent straight away) then the three year time limit will begin to run from the date of knowledge.
Another exception to the rule is in the case of death. If you are making a claim on behalf of a deceased then the three years will begin to run either from the date of death or from the date of the deceased’s personal representative’s knowledge of the injury (whichever is later).
The third most notable exception is in the case of children. A claim on behalf of a child should be brought within three years of the child’s 18th birthday at the very latest (i.e. before the child reaches at age of 21).
Make a Personal Injury Claim in Bristol
If you would like to make a personal injury claim or if you are making a personal injury claim on behalf of someone else then you should not delay. The claim should really be brought when the incident is fresh in the claimant’s mind and when evidence will be easier to gather.
Any claim should be made with the assistance of one of our personal injury solicitors** in Bristol who will be happy to take your case on under a Conditional Fee Agreement, more commonly known as a no win no fee agreement.
Contact our Accident Claims Lawyers in Bristol
Call Personal Injury Claims Bristol on 01174 538 052 Furthermore, you can make an online enquiry here.